


Foundations and Finesse

by butyoumight



Series: Shuffling Your Deck of Trick Cards [8]
Category: Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger
Genre: Alternate Universe, Dubious Consent, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-06-09
Updated: 2011-06-09
Packaged: 2017-10-20 06:57:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/209985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/butyoumight/pseuds/butyoumight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>So focused was he, so trapped by the wonder of such a small piece of his long-since lost childhood, Joe didn't notice the wolfish smile that had overtaken Basco's features, predatory and hungry.</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	Foundations and Finesse

**Author's Note:**

> Spoilers for Episode 15. Alternate Universe as of Episode 16.

Joe felt frozen to the spot, staring out at the little rock that had been his birthplace. He realized slowly that he was shaking, his fingers trembling against the view screen. This was unthinkable, completely unfathomable. Not only had he been sure the planet was long since blown away, considering it had no real resources useful to the Empire, but how has Basco found out? And why was he taking him here?

"You're not happy, blue-chan?"

Joe turned around slowly. There was a mischievous smile playing around the edges of Basco's eyes that completely negated his attempt at concern.

"How?"

Basco spread his hands. "I have my ways. I may have left on a sour note with the old man, but I have many other friends in the Empire. I think they must have kept your records fresh because you were such a threat. It's an easy thing to figure out, where someone comes from. Especially when they're recruited into the military."

Joe finally tore himself away from the screen, took a few feeble steps towards Basco. His legs felt weak, like they could barely carry him. Suddenly Basco was there, catching him around the waist and holding him up. "There, there. What's wrong?"

"I thought it was gone." Joe admits, looking up at Basco, suspicious but oddly thankful at the same time. The feelings conflicted terribly and did nothing for Joe's current state of mind.

"Oh, no. Your planet here, it breeds great soldiers. Strong willed and hearty. Desert life, all the best fighters come from worlds like this."

Joe remembered what Sid had told him about his own home planet, ages ago, and he finds Basco's words make a sort of sense. So they did have one usable resource: their people.

"I don't understand. Why are we here?"

Basco shrugged, released Joe and took a step back. Joe was pleased to find he was back to being able to stand on his own. His reaction had been pathetic enough, and he imagines Basco is laughing at him, inside if not outwardly.

"I thought you'd like it. We were nearby and I thought, why not? You haven't been back since you left the first time."

Joe doesn't think to wonder how Basco knows that. Not that he hadn't ever entertained the thought, but only ever briefly. They had a mission, he and Marvelous, and they had both given their entire lives over to it, never mind the past.

A dark look crosses Basco's features and Joe turns his face away, unsure of what his 'Marvelous face' must look like but very aware that Basco could always tell, and usually reacted poorly.

"I have something for you, blue-chan."

Joe turned back, and again his legs feel weak. Basco is holding a sword, no telling where he'd had it hidden. Not a pirate's cutlass or one of the straight two-edged swords of Zangyack. No, this was the razor sharp katana of his home world, a very well-crafted one at that.

Joe reached for the hilt of the sword on reflex, and then hesitated, leaving his hand and trembling fingers outstretched. "Why?" He looked up, met Basco's eyes, searched for any hint of duplicity. Things had stopped making any sort of sense, and Joe was left struggling to keep up. Why would Basco offer him a weapon, a deadly dangerous weapon especially in Joe's hands? What would stop Joe from simply cutting Basco down in righteous and perfectly defensible rage? Killing the monkey and taking the ship back, back to Earth, back to Marvelous and the crew.

Pride, Joe realized, and honor.

He took the sword without waiting for Basco's answer.

He hadn't held one in years, too many years to count, but as soon as he lifted the weight from Basco's hands it felt natural, as natural an extension of his arm as his hand. Perfectly weighted even still sheathed. He wrapped his left hand around the base of the sheath and drew the blade with a showy little flourish, bringing the blade around once before he held it in front of his eyes to examine it.

So focused was he, so trapped by the wonder of such a small piece of his long-since lost childhood, Joe didn't notice the wolfish smile that had overtaken Basco's features, predatory and hungry.

Basco stepped around Joe to approach the navigation helm, very purposefully showing Joe his back. Joe didn't move except to return the sword to its sheath.

"We'll land tomorrow." Basco told him. "When it's daylight in the Southern Hemisphere. That's where your parents live, isn't it?"

Joe was back to free-fall. He grasped the sword between both hands, afraid almost to let go lest the entire universe grind to a halt or spin out of control.

"My parents?"

Basco glanced over his shoulder. "They're still alive, blue-chan. What, you thought I brought you here for the scenery?"

"I didn't... I don't..." Joe had to hide his eyes behind one hand, his bangs having grown out far enough to be integrated into the braid, Basco's braid. This of course triggered a whole new avalanche of doubt, and he straightened, grabbing the end of the braid. "I can't go down there like this."

Basco almost frowned. Joe was beginning to recognize the signs. "What's wrong with it? I thought it looked quite nice."

"I just can't. It's... It would be unbecoming. It's not a men's style, I'd be..."

Basco stepped closer, took Joe's shoulders in his hands and squeezed with his long fingers. "It's fine, blue-chan, just fine. I'll fix it."

Joe squinted up at Basco. He had too many questions to ask, and was quite sure that no answers, at least no truthful answers would be forthcoming. Still, it was stupid not to ask.

"Why are you doing all of this?"

Basco laughed, a light and carefree little chuckle. It was familiar for some reason, Joe's sure he's heard that specific laugh before, but certainly not since he'd arrived on the ship. Basco's laughs previously had almost always been colored by a slight note of derision.

"To make you happy, blue-chan. What else?"

With that laugh, sweet with no discernible hint of malice, Joe almost believed him.

"Come, we'll fix your hair now before bed." Basco took his hand, and for once the grip didn't feel possessive or greedy. Just gentle guidance, leading Joe back to his room. No, his cell.

What was happening?

Joe sat down in front of Basco where he perched on the bench, kneeling on the blanket to save his knees from the hard floor. Basco immediately started patiently unraveling the complex braid he'd worked Joe's hair into the evening before, leaving Joe to grip at his new sword and try to understand this change that had come over Basco.

Unless, of course, it hadn't been Basco that had changed. Perhaps it was Joe himself that was different. This thought was frightening, particularly when Joe thought that it was obviously better to be happy, to have Basco treating him so well. Showering him with strange affection and the one gift Joe hadn't even realized he most wanted.

Basco's fingers deftly parted the bangs that made up his more traditional old hairstyle, brushing them forward almost tenderly. Joe realizes Basco's humming to himself, apparently quite at his ease despite the sheer absurdity of the situation.

Tying the bulk of Joe's hair back into the simple ponytail was a much quicker job then the braid Basco favored, and he was soon standing up, leaning over Joe to press a tender kiss to his cheek. Walking past Joe, he paused to look back, then clicked his tongue. "We'll trim your bangs in the morning, blue-chan. They're much too long."

He left, locking the cell after himself. That had still not changed, and Joe appreciates it. This small show of distrust in him was the only thing in the universe still making sense.

Joe stood up, shook his head to feel familiar cascade of hair around his shoulders, instead of the heavy straight-hanging weight of the braid. And now he understood, or thought he did, what Basco had been hiding from him all along.

Joe had lost track of time. Traveling mostly in dead space, with only Basco's erratic attempts at meals and sleep times to judge days, Joe had given up. He didn't know exactly how long he'd been on board the _Free Joker_ , but now he had an idea.

His hair, which had reached just past his shoulder blades when he'd been on Earth, had grown so much that it was easily approaching the small of his back. Basco had braided it up every day, disguising the growth in the intricate weaving.

It had, against all odds, been probably months since the fateful day Basco had barged, uncaring, back into Marvelous' life, taking away with him something dear to the young Captain, just, it seemed, as he ever did.

Joe sat down heavily, the blanket doing little to cushion his fall. With one hand holding weakly onto the sword, the other slipped to his neck, pulled his necklace from inside the tight-fitting black shirt Basco had chosen for him. He gripped the pendant with his initial tight in his free hand, and tears of confusion and frustration clouded his eyes.

That night, unknown to Joe, he lost his last unspoken hope that Marvelous would come for him.

Alone in his room, Basco knew. And he laughed.


End file.
